


Unwanted Soul

by fanatic564



Category: Sanders Sides (Web Series)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Soulmates, I think that's everything?, I think?, Logan Sanders does indeed know what feelings are, M/M, Mention of Deceit Sanders, Mention of Deceit/Picani, Mention of Emile Picani, Shocking I know, Slight Angst?, Soulmate-Identifying Marks, Soulmate-Identifying Timers, Sympathetic Deceit Sanders, This just in, and the importance of them, i dont know how tagging works
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-11
Updated: 2018-12-11
Packaged: 2019-09-16 04:10:32
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,640
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16946751
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/fanatic564/pseuds/fanatic564
Summary: “Virgil, would you care to explain to me why there is a man in the lobby, talking about how he is convinced that any minute his soulmate will “fly down the stairs and into his arms?”“Nope”Virgil Sanders doesn't like the idea of soulmates. As his timer inevitably counts down, Virgil decides to hide in his room until it’s over.





	Unwanted Soul

**Author's Note:**

> So this is my first actual fanfic that I'm posting to this site (the crack fic doesn't count, it wasn't my idea). I'm really bad at titles, so I hope it's ok. I hope you all enjoy!  
> This is also posted on my sideblog on tumblr @sideoffiction  
> (FYI the characters are all about mid to late twenties).

Everyone has a soulmate, it’s common fact. Whether it be romantic or platonic, people are destined to have and meet the person they are fated to. On everyone’s arm there is a timer, slowly ticking away until the day it hits zero, the day you look your soulmate in the eye. There is even a precautionary measure, on the off chance that two soulmates lose each other before they can actually talk after the first look: the timers will continue blinking zeros until the two soulmates each talk to the other. It is nearly impossible to not meet your soulmate.

Despite all this, there are people who don’t quite believe, or just don’t like the idea of soulmates. Virgil Sanders is one of these people. He doesn’t want to meet his soulmate, and he will do anything to avoid it, despite being told that it is impossible. This leads us to our current situation.

 

 

“Virgil, you can not sit in the apartment all day to avoid interaction.” Logan sighs into his book, glancing over to his roommate on the couch.

“Watch me” Virgil replies, curling further into his blanket and facing the television, the blanket covering most of his face except for his eyes.

“You can’t ignore them forever. No matter what, you will meet your soulmate. Its illogical for you to think otherwise.” 

“You know what’s illogical?” Virgil pokes his head out from the blanket slightly more to say this. “The fact that fate forces us to be with someone we don’t even know. The fact that fate took some poor unfortunate soul, and made it so that they are forced to stay with me forever.”

“You are exaggerating, Virgil. Evidence and statistics have proven time and time again that soulmates almost always find happiness with each other. Whoever this person is, they will undoubtedly be happy with you.”

“That’s not the point, Lo. The point is they will be forced to like me. They are stuck with a big ball of anxiety and self-deprecation, and they have to deal with it. They have no other choice, even if they wanted one. Then again, no one would want me if they had the choose. That’s a proven fact.”

Virgil can see the pity on Logan’s face, and he hates it. He doesn’t want Logan’s pity. He just wants this day to be over so that he never has to think about soulmates ever again. Logan goes to respond, but before he can his cell phone starts to ring. He sighs as he puts his book down on his lap to answer it. Virgil turns his attention back to the television as Logan talks. He only turns back when he hears him hang up. He watches as Logan stands up, moving the book from his lap to the coffee table.

“Unfortunately, I must take my leave. My coworker just called saying he is going to be late to work, and has requested that I fill in for him while he’s away.”  
Virgil tries to hide his relief at Logan leaving, but Logan notices it immediately. 

“Do not think that me not being here to force you out of the apartment is going to stop you from meeting your soulmate. It will happen, whether you like it or not.” And with that, Logan walks into his bedroom to start getting ready for his shift.

 

 

Virgil wanders around the apartment in his socks, searching for something to occupy his time. He had grown bored of the television an hour ago, and his phone was in his room charging. He wears his hoodie, trying to hide his soulmark, but everytime he goes to move his arm, his sleeve rides up and he can see a brief glimpse of his time.

00:00:10:15

Ten minutes until he’s supposed to meet his soulmate. 

_Good luck meeting me if I don’t leave my house._ Virgil had already put in all necessary precautions to make sure there was no chance of meeting his soulmate. He will not answer any knocks on the door or the doorbell. He already told all of his (sadly few) friends that he was busy so they couldn’t force him out of the house. Or come to his house, in the off chance they brought a friend that he’d never met before. Hell, he even brought the spare key into the house in case his soulmate was a burglar that could easily get into his house with it. Yup, Virgil is positive that he will not meet his soulmate.

Virgil decides to grab a jar of jam and a spoon (Logan will have a fit when he finds out he ate his Crofters, but Virgil couldn’t care less) and heads up to his room. He plops on his bed and grabs his charging phone, deciding to spend the time mindlessly scrolling through Tumblr while he eats the jam. He stays like that for a while, until suddenly he hears a large crash outside his apartment. Virgil jumps at the sound, panicking slightly. Against his better judgement, he decides to take a peek outside his window to see what the noise was. He places his jam on the nightstand and looks out.

Outside, a small car accident has occurred. No one seems too injured, as all occupants get out of their cars and start talking. _I’m glad no one got hurt. I would feel bad if someone died in front of my apartment. Knowing my luck, their ghost would haunt this building, and probably, as a result, me._

Virgil doesn’t realize as he becomes lost in thought, staring outside at the damaged cars. Suddenly, however, he starts hearing a loud noise, which causes him to jump slightly. 

BEEP BEEP BEEP BEEP

A smirk makes its way onto Virgil’s face. He had done it. His timer was beeping, yet where was his soulm-

That’s when he realizes. While becoming lost in thought looking outside, his eyes had begun to shift. And now, he was staring into the eyes of a stranger, who looks up at him from the sidewalk with wide eyes. Virgil watches as the man’s face slowly lights up as he realizes what is happening. Virgil watches as the man darts across the street to the entrance of his apartment building.

 _Shit_. Virgil’s eyes widen, and he hastily shuts his blind. _Shit shit shit shit shit_. 

His soulmate had seen him. And now his soulmate would be waiting for him. Waiting and waiting. But Virgil wasn’t going to show. He couldn’t. He may have seen his soulmate, but he will not give in. He refuses. 

Virgil’s breathing picks up slightly. He doesn’t know what to do. He didn’t plan for this to happen; he thought his plan was fool proof. Now this man that he doesn’t even know will give up everything in order to meet and be with Virgil. He would probably even give up any relationship he has now in order to be with Virgil. Virgil’s breath picks up even more. He needs to stop thinking about this: he needs a distraction. He needs to stop thinking about his situation, one he does not want to be in right now. He grabs his earbuds from his nightstand and quickly puts them in, putting his playlist on shuffle. Slowly, his mind drifts away from his soulmate.

 

Half an hour later, Virgil hears the front door to the apartment slam shut. He listens as footsteps quickly move closer and closer to his room, as if with purpose. His door opens without so much as a knock. Logan stands in the doorway, a serious look on his face.

“Virgil, would you care to explain to me why there is a man in the lobby, talking about how he is convinced that any minute his soulmate will ‘fly down the stairs and into his arms’?”

“Nope.” Logan sighs at that answer, and goes to sit on the edge of Virgil’s bed. Virgil watches as he glances up his sleeve and Virgil knows he can see the faint line of zeroes blinking on his arm.

“Is it really so bad to meet your soulmate, Virge? He seems really excited to meet you. You should really give him a shot.”

“He’s really excited to meet his _soulmate_ , Lo. Not me. He doesn’t even know me. He’s just fed the same bullshit as everyone else. ‘Oh it’ll be love at first site’. Yadda yadda. Life shouldn’t work like that, Lo. _Love_ shouldn’t work like that. I don’t want to meet someone without the free will of being able to choose them.”

Logan remains silent for awhile, lost in thought, before getting up off of the bed and walking out the door, leaving Virgil alone once more.

 

 

Logan has always been respectful of Virgil and his boundaries. When Virgil tells him that he doesn’t want something, or that he doesn’t want Logan involved, he tries to respect his wishes. But this. This is something Logan cannot keep out of. While not completely understanding the emotional aspect of soulmates, as he has not quite found his own yet, he knows the statistics. Virgil needs his soulmate to help him as a person and help his happiness. And damn it if he’s gonna let Virgil let that happiness slip away just because of the past. 

Logan slips outside of their apartment, making sure the door is still unlocked as he does, as he doesn’t have his key on him.. And knowing Virgil, he probably took away the spare key to keep people out of the apartment. He makes his way down the hall and down the stairs. There in the lobby is the same man he had seen previously, a broad young man dressed in a red jacket and white pants. Instead of loudly talking about his soulmate and how excited he was to meet him, however, he sat in one of the chairs looking heartbroken. From what little Logan had seen, that look doesn’t fit the man.

Logan walks over to him. “Greetings.”

The man looks up, excitement and hope in his eyes, however when he sees Logan, he quickly deflates. “You’re not him.”

“I know I am not. My name is Logan.” Logan stretches out his hand in greeting. The man looks at it, confused, before shaking it. 

“I’m Roman.”

“What exactly is the matter. Roman?” Logan is curious of Roman’s point of view of the situation. Roman looks at Logan suspiciously before deciding that he’s trustworthy enough for the tale. He pulls up his sleeves to reveal blinking zeroes on his arm.

“I… locked eyes with my soulmate today. I was walking to get some lunch during my break when there was a car accident. Some shit happened and I was suddenly looking up into one of the windows in a building nearby where a man was watching. Next thing I knew, my timer’s going off and this gorgeous man was smirking down at me. I rushed across the street, fully expecting him to rush down and greet me. He didn’t. At first I thought he was just slow. Then I thought he was taking his time to make sure he was presentable. Now I don’t know what to think.” Roman looks down at his hands and continues speaking. “Am I not good enough? Did my soulmate take one look at me, take me as a horrible, disgusting human being, and decide I wasn’t worth his time?”

Logan doesn’t know what to say. Less than an hour ago, this man was bursting with confidence, excitedly waiting for his soulmate to finally unite with him. Now, the same man was sitting so dejectedly, with tears starting to form in his eyes. Logan, despite not being the best at it, attempts to comfort Roman.

“I’m sure it's not like that” Logan starts, placing his hand on Roman’s shoulder. Roman looks up at him as his tears slowly make their way down his cheeks.

“Then why?” His voice cracks a little as he says this, and Logan vows to give Virgil a piece of his mind for making this seemingly confident man crumble. Logan takes a deep breath before replying.

“I know who your soulmate is.” He says it gently, trying to say it so that Roman won’t take it the wrong way. It doesn’t work. Roman’s eyes widen, and he pushes Logan’s hand off of his shoulder in shock. He stands up and takes a step away from Logan, keeping his eyes on him the whole time.

“What sort of sick joke is this?” His voice is even more full of hurt than before. Logan quickly to stands up to try and reassure him, but Roman continues before Logan can speak. “This has to be a joke. Or, let me guess. He sent you down here to reject me gently instead of him coming down himself. That has to be it! You asshole.”

“Roman, please settle down. I would like to inform you that my talking to you is for the exact opposite reason that you think.”

“Oh yeah? Then what is the real reason?”

“Please sit back down, and I will explain what’s going on.” Roman eyes him wearily as he sits back down, noticeably farther away from Logan than he was before. Logan takes a moment to collect his thoughts before starting his story.

“I’ve known Virgil since we were little.” Roman goes to say something but Logan cuts him off. “Yes, that is your soulmate’s name. Anyway, when we were little, Virge used to love the idea of love. And since he was always taught that soulmates are always supposed to bring love, he inevitably fell in love with the concept of soulmates as well. However, when we were about 15 years-old, Virge formed a crush on our mutual friend Dee. Dee, while being a compulsive liar, wasn’t a terrible kid, and so when Virge confessed his crush, Dee took it well. He agreed to give it a shot, despite them not being soulmates. They were happy together, and for a while it seemed like nothing could break them apart. Then, Dee met his soulmate.”

Logan stops his story to gauge Roman’s reaction. Roman looked enthralled in the story, as if he were being told a fairytale. Logan continues.

“They had known it was coming, as they had a literal timer that marked when they would have to end their relationship. However, Dee always promised that when he met his soulmate, he wouldn’t abandon Virgil. But when Emile showed up, it was as if Dee completely forgot his promise. Ever since then, Virgil has despised the idea that you are forced to love someone because of fate. Today, he locked himself in our shared apartment in order to avoid meeting his soulmate, despite me telling him that it was fruitless. Obviously, by our current situation, it has been proven once again that I was right.” 

As Logan finishes up his story, he once again watches Roman’s reaction. He looks sad, but for an entirely different reason than before. 

“So it may not be me that he hates, but he still wants nothing to do with me. I have no chance.”

“On the contrary, Roman, I believe that you are perfect for Virgil.” Roman looks confused at that, so Logan continues. “From what little I’ve come to know about you, you seem to care a great deal about soulmates. I believe it is not too much of a stretch to assume that you, in loving soulmates, love the concept of love itself as well. Maybe even as much as Virgil once did. I believe that, if you try hard enough, you can teach Virgil to love soulmates once again.” 

Roman’s eyes light up at the thought, and he jumps up suddenly. “Then I shall take on this quest of saving my Knight from this lonely path he has set himself on, for I am not Prince Roman!” 

“I may not know you well, but I know for certain that you are not a prince.” 

“It is my last name, and therefore I am, indeed, a Prince! Now tell me, where is this Virgil?” Logan smirks slightly at Roman’s antics, however he quickly drops it as he replies.

“Before I take you up, you must promise me something.”

“And what is that, dear Logan?”

“You have to go easy on him. You can’t just try to sweep him off his feet to get him to love- heck, to even like- you. In fact, you need to do the opposite. You need to help him find balance, and be an anchor to help him stay on his feet. Compromise with him: keep your love gestures small while trying to get him to slowly open up and give them back. Just, in general, be careful.”

Roman’s eyes soften as Logan speaks.

“You care for him greatly don’t you?” It looks like Logan goes to reject it for a moment, but thinks better of it.

“He’s my best friend, I don’t want him any more hurt than he’s already been.” He pauses for a second. “I just want him to be happy.”

Roman places his hand on Logan’s shoulder, like Logan once did to him, and speaks calmly and sincerely. “I’ll be carefull.”

 

 

They made it into the apartment fairly quietly, and head towards Virgil’s room. When Logan goes to open the door, it doesn’t budge. Virgil must have locked it after their earlier encounter. He knocks on the door and waits for an answer. He can hear Virgil faintly shuffling around his room to answer the door.

“What do you want now, Lo?” Virgil states as he opens the door slightly and sticks his head out. It takes him a second to notice Roman next to Logan, but when he sees him, he closes the door once more.

“Virgil please-” Logan starts, but Virgil cuts him off through the door.

“I can’t believe you, Logan. You know exactly why I don’t want to meet him, and yet you bring him to me anyway. You better have a damn good reason.”

Logan opens his mouth to respond, but he is cut off once more, this time by Roman.

“It’s my fault. I begged and begged and practically forced him to bring me to you. Do not blame him for my actions.” 

“And you.” At this, Virgil opens the door once more to get into Roman’s face. Logan takes a glance at the other two’s arms, and watches as their timers both stop blinking zeros. The final proof that Logan didn’t accidentally grab the wrong person. Not that he thought he did or anything. “I don’t care that you are my soulmate. You have no right to force yourself into my life. I want nothing to do with you.”

“If I could speak please.” Logan states loudly, tired of the tension in the room. They both look at him in shock. “Virgil, despite what he says, it was I who brought him here. I just want you to talk to him. I don’t want you to just throw him away because of the past.”

“But-“ 

“No buts. Just give him a chance. That’s all I ask for. And if by the end of it, you still want nothing to do with him, I will make sure he leaves and doesn’t bother you ever again.”

Virgil sighs, and Logan knows he has won. When Logan has his mind set, nothing will stop him from getting what he wants.

“Fine. I’ll give him five minutes. That is all.” Virgil opens his door more to allow Roman to enter. Before he shuts the door, he glares at Logan. 

_I hate you_ Virgil mouths to him. Logan smirks as the door shuts.

“You’ll thank me later.” He whispers to the door.

 

 

Virgil watches as this man, his ‘soulmate’, takes in his room, looking at all the posters and merchandise scattered throughout. The man gets particularly excited when he notices Virgil’s _Nightmare Before Christmas_ poster, but when he opens his mouth to mention it, Virgil crossed his arms and speaks up.

“I said I would give you five minutes, and five minutes you will get. You better start talking.” The man closes his mouth, and Virgil can practically see the gears turning in his head. Finally, after about ten seconds of silence, he speaks up.

“I believe the first order of business is to introduce ourselves.” The man exaggerates a bow to Virgil. “Greetings. My name is Roman Prince, and I believe we are soulmates.” 

“Virgil Sanders” is all Virgil replies. He continues to stare at the man- Roman- with distaste. Roman sighs and stands straight up once more. 

“I’m going to be upfront here and say that Logan told me why you hate soulmates.” Virgil feels a pang of hurt go through him; that is not Logan’s story to tell. “I first want to say that I am truly sorry for what happened to you.”

“Yeah well, it's not something you should be sorry about. And the past is in the past, I don’t care anymore.”

“But you do care. You care enough that you stayed inside to avoid meeting me. I’m going to go out on a limb and assume the true reason you did that. We met so late in life, later than a lot of our peers. Am I wrong to say that you didn’t want to ruin any relationships I had build up when we finally met.” Virgil flinches slightly at the accusation, but quickly grows angry.

“Who are you to assume anything about me? You’ve known me, what? Five minutes? Ten, if you count asshole out there telling you my entire life story. How do you know I don’t just hate the entire concept for an entirely different reason, huh? How do you know it isn’t you I hate?” Virgil’s making things up now, he knows he is. But he doesn’t want to get attached to this man. He just wants him to go back to him own life, and leave him the hell alone. 

It’s Roman’s turn to flinch at that, the statement having obviously hit a nerve. His voice is lower when he speaks again.

“I know, because you refused to look me in the eyes when you said that.” Virgil is shocked to notice that he is right. He looks Roman in the eyes, and goes to say it again, when he stops. This is the first time he has properly looked Roman in the eyes. Hell, it's the first time he has properly looked at Roman in general. His eyes are a rich chocolate brown. They look like they could hold all the happiness in the world, like when their eyes first met through the window. But now, they are only filled with sadness. His face is similar. A handsome face, really, that looks as if it spends most of its time laughing, and yet here it was, full of sadness and hurt. All because of Virgil.

How long has this man waited for his soulmate, waited for the day that he would meet the love of his life? He was like Virgil was, all those years ago, wasn’t he? Clinging onto the belief that love will come to those who find their soulmate. It wasn’t his fault that Virgil fell- gained a crush on Dee. Virgil had no right to punish Roman when they were really both looking for the same thing. Love.

“Virgil.” Virgil looks back up to Roman (when had he looked away?), small tears starting to form in his eyes. Roman looks hesitant. “Virgil, can I hug you?”

It takes Virgil a second to comprehend what was being asked and to respond. He nods his head a little. Gently, Roman wraps his arms around him, and holds him as if he is the most precious thing in the world. And maybe, to Roman, he is. Virgil feels safe in Roman’s arms, safer than he has ever felt in his life. The tears in his eyes slowly start to fall. Is this what it is like to truly have a soulmate? To have someone meant for you, someone made perfectly to help you learn and grow throughout your life? Now Virgil understands just why Dee left. Virgil could never compare to this feeling, no matter how hard he could try. 

It is in that moment, safe in his soulmate’s arms, that Virgil finally feels that he can forgive Dee.

 

 

Roman looks down at Virgil with a soft smile. Sometime after their hug, they had decided to lay on Virgil’s bed and get to know each other. The first thing they did was establish that they would go slow to let Virgil get used to having something he once despised. But now, they just laid there and talked, their sides touching in a weird sort of cuddle.

“So what do you do for a living?” Virgil asks him.

“I am the prince of a faraway land, ruling my kingdom fairly and justly, and making it a place for all to feel welcome.” Virgil gives him a stare and he smiles sheepishly. “Or, I’m just an actor at the local community theater. What about you, Hot topic?”

“Aw, you think I’m hot.” Roman blushes slightly and Virgil laughs. God, Roman could never get tired of that laugh. “I just work stock at the local bookstore: _Me, My-shelf and I_. Ever heard of it?”

“Ah yes, my dear friend Patton owns it, does he not?”

“You know Patton?”

“Ah yes, we grew up together, much like you and Specs out there.”

“Heh, small world.”

“Indeed.” 

They fall silent, but the silence isn’t bad or tense. It gives Roman a minute to glance around the room once more. His eyes land on a photo on Virgil’s nightstand. In it are three teenagers. Two, Roman recognizes as Virgil and Logan, despite them being almost ten years younger. The third boy has a scar across his face, and he is holding Virgil’s hand.

“That’s Dee.” Virgil’s voice startles Roman. He looks back down at Virgil, and watches as his sad eyes take in the photo.

“You really loved him, didn’t you.”

Virgil doesn’t respond, but Roman can see the love in his eyes. 

“I know that I could never replace him. He was your first love, was he not?” Roman feels Virgil’s nod. “But I can try to lessen the hurt. I will try to show you time and time again that I am not just with you because we are soulmates, but because I genuinely like you.”

“Thanks, Roman.” Virgil moves closer to Roman, his body now curling into his. Roman carefully wraps his arms around Virgil. They remain silent, and Roman notices as Virgil slowly drifts off. Roman smiles softly, and kisses the top of Virgil’s head. 

 

 

Logan works in the kitchen, chopping vegetables for that night’s dinner. If it wasn’t for him, Virgil would try to live on takeout and ramen. 

It had been a while since Logan had heard anything coming from Virgil’s room. He starts to fear the worst, thinking that they had finally killed each other. He silently puts his knife down, and makes his way over to the room, listening for any sort of noise. He silently opens Virgil’s door and peaks in. There, on the bed, is Virgil and Roman. Virgil is passed out, curled up next to Roman. Meanwhile, Roman sits on his phone, his other hand mindlessly weaving through Virgil’s hair. When the door opens, Roman looks up. He smiles when he sees Logan.

“Thank you,” he whispers, glancing down at Virgil once more with a small smile. Logan nods back, and silently closing the door as he backs away.

_I guess I have to make dinner for three._

**Author's Note:**

> Sorry the ending is a little rushed, but I hope you guys enjoyed anyway. Please tell me if there is anything to fix. Thanks for reading!


End file.
